Queluz National Palace

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Ceremonial façade of the Palace of Queluz.

The Queluz National Palace (Portuguese: Palácio Nacional de Queluz) is a 18th century palace located in the city of Queluz, in Portugal near Lisbon. The Palace of Queluz was the residence of the Kings of Portugal and, given its exuberant baroque-rococo architecture and gardens, is also nicknamed the Portuguese Versailles. It is also an important tourist attraction.

Building of the Palace of Queluz began still during the reign of King John V in 1747, under the direction of Portuguese architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira. He directed the works until around 1755, when he moved to Lisbon to help rebuild the city after the Great Earthquake. He designed some courtyards, the ceremonial façade of the Palace, facing the gardens, as well as the tower of Saint Francis and other buildings.

The second architect of the Palace was the Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Robillon. He designed the gardens, many buildings and the interiors of the Palace, in rococo style, with the help of Jean-Baptiste Pillement and other French and Portuguese artists. Robillion adopted a floorplan in the shape of an "U", common in other rococo palaces in Europe. He also designed the Room of Honour, with a beautiful stairway.

Rococco tiles in the gardens of the Palace of Queluz.

The rooms of the Palace (Throne Room, Embassadors' Room, Music Room) are all magnificently decorated with rococo painting, gilt wood and tiles. The Chapel, for instance, is decorated with gilt wood work by Portuguese sculptor Silvestre Faria Lobo (around 1752).

The gardens are decorated with vases and statues brought from Italy and England, as well as multicoloured Portuguese tiles (installed in the 1750s and 1780s) and fountains.

In 1794, during the reign of Queen Mary I, the Palace of Queluz became the official residence of the Kings of Portugal.

The Pavillion of D. Maria, built from 1785 to 1792 and designed by Manuel Caetano de Sousa, is now the official residence of foreign heads of state visiting Portugal.